Olympic champion weightlifter Christine Girard named Canada's chef de mission for 2023 Pan Am Games

From near podium misses to upgraded medals, from disappointment to triumph, Canadian weightlifter Christine Girard has seen it all.

Now, she hopes to impart that experience upon the next generation of athletes.

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced Thursday that Girard would be chef de mission for Team Canada at the upcoming Pan Am Games, which run from Oct. 20 through Nov. 5 in Santiago, Chile.

"I like to compare my role as being kind of like the mama of the team," Girard told CBC Sports. "I want to prepare them, clean before them, make sure everything is organized and be there for them, cheer them on, be there when it goes well, be there when it's not as well."

Girard, the 38-year-old from Rouyn-Noranda, Que., competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She initially finished a heartbreaking fourth at the former before winning Canada's first-ever weightlifting medal, bronze, at the latter Games.

In 2018, due to positive doping tests from athletes ahead of her, she was bumped to bronze for 2008 and gold for 2012.

Girard also competed in three Pan Am Games, improving from eighth to silver and finally gold.

She said her message to Canadian athletes competing in Chile will be to trust the process.

"It's not just a question of what we do, it's how we do it that makes us proud Canadians. I often say that when I received my medal, it was my whole country that won, right? It's the values of our country that made those medals possible," Girard said.

WATCH | Girard finally receives upgraded medals in 2018:

COC chief sport officer Eric Myles said Girard is the whole package for a chef de mission.

"She is an incredibly accomplished athlete. She is an inspirational role model and a strong advocate promoting clean play. With her